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MP3 Pro quality question... |
Nemisis
Joined: Mar 20, 2003
Posts: 18
From: Cheltenham UK
PM |
Not sure if this is the correct place for this but...
I'm now the smiling owner of a 128 Duo and have been experimenting with MP3Pro. I used the Thompson mp3Pro player to encode from WAV to mp3Pro at 64kbps. When I compared the quality of the resulting file to normal Mp3s sampled at 128kbps I found the mp3Pro files severely lacking. Sure the filesize is smaller but the quality is 'clearly' inferior to normal mp3. I didn't expect them but be exactly the same but I was surprised by how bad they were.
Am I doing something wrong?
What do you guys use?
Or *is* mp3Pro just not as good?
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scooterman
Joined: Apr 11, 2003
Posts: 73
From: Massachusetts, USA
PM |
ive found the same thing too. every alternative "just as good" method at a lower bit rate ive tired comes out horrible. |
nigelot1
Joined: Aug 27, 2002
Posts: 216
From: UK
PM |
I encode from the original cd using Musicmatch to produce 64 kbps mp3pro
I've got six of my favorite album on a 128 stick
I find that the quality is very good. I cant really tell the difference. I thought it maybe just me but my girlfriend agrees.
I do notice though if I listen with a good pair of headphones like the Koss portapros, this does make a difference.
I know that many people can hear artifacts like underwater shimmering noices etc,..... I cant hear these.
I can however notice a BIG difference if I encode 128 kbps mp3 to 64 kbps mp3pro
What software are you using to encode, maybe try Musicmatch or another one
Also, as a matter of interest can you tell the difference beteen mp3 128 kbps & mp3 192 kbps or higher?
hope this helps
N
[ This Message was edited by: nigelot1 on 2003-05-03 15:00 ] |
scooterman
Joined: Apr 11, 2003
Posts: 73
From: Massachusetts, USA
PM |
yes i can tell the difference between 128 and 192 but not all the time it depends on the time of muisc. Those underwater shimmering noises are extacly what i heard with 64k mp3pro. |
Darrensmojo
Joined: Mar 07, 2003
Posts: 25
PM |
Hello
You mentioned the 128MB Duo..I hope you know that the P800 doesn't support MP3Pro. If you playback an MP3Pro file on your P800, all you will hear is low sound quality, no Pro features.
cu
Darrensmojo |
Nemisis
Joined: Mar 20, 2003
Posts: 18
From: Cheltenham UK
PM |
The files sound just as bad when played from my PC.
I'm pretty sure that if the P800 didn't support the Pro format then it couldn't play them at all.
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dirkies
Joined: Mar 11, 2003
Posts: 215
PM |
for PRO playback, you need on your PC the mp3PRO plugin for winamp or a pro player from RCA
P800 doesn't support mp3PRO, no surprise it sounds bad!
I use CoolEditPro for mp3PRO encoding. You can use Nero5 aswell. |
Da_WiZ
Joined: Mar 04, 2002
Posts: 126
From:
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As an soundengineer i can tell you that I can hear a big diffrence between 128k and 196k i don't like to download files below 128k...the reason you might not hear the "underwater" noices could be the speakers or headphones you are using.
The best encoder, as to what I have read should be the Fraunhofer encoder. Personally I hate the whole mp3 industry because it makes people settle for bad soundquality and we should always strive for better....right? |
Zoidy
Joined: Jan 30, 2003
Posts: 114
PM |
All,
well, to say the P800 doesn't support MP3pro the sound is perfectly fine for me, and I am using Sony earphones via a 2.5mm to 3.5mm jack adapter.
I have just encoded Christina Aguilera's Beautiful from 128k MP3 to (40 second tests)
96k MP3pro -
http://www.roswell.dsl.pipex.com/sounds/MP3PRO-Beautiful.mp3;
MP3pro VBR @ 60% -
http://www.roswell.dsl.pipex.com/sounds/MP3PROVBR-Beautiful.mp3;
and to normal MP3 96k -
http://www.roswell.dsl.pipex.com/sounds/MP396k-Beautiful.mp3
If you could hear the 'underwater warbling' on any song it would be one of Christinas! But nothing. No warbling, no crackles, no problem.
Z.
[ This Message was edited by: Zoidy on 2003-05-03 17:53 ] |
psikey
Joined: Jan 31, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: UK - South Yorkshire
PM |
I also just got 2 128MB DUO's.
I previously experimented with mp3pro onlt to determine no benefit is gained when playing on the P800.
Fortunately, the first available version of the OggPlayer is now available
http://my-symbian.com/uiq/applications/applications.php?fldAuto=226&faq=4
The player is very basic at this stage but it plays .ogg music files with exceptional quality. I initially converted some mp3's to ogg files at 64kbs which sound great & have done some down at 48kbs & for me they still sound good.
Hopefully the OggPlayer interface will improve quickly as now getting twice as much 'good' music than I could with mp3.
dBPowerAMP converter is great for converting to ogg files & the dBPower Player can play ogg files on the PC.
Give it a try 
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350z
Joined: Apr 11, 2003
Posts: 70
From: USA - SAN JOSE
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this might off topic, but have you tried ogg instead? |
jplacson
Joined: Apr 21, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Philippines
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Just a question... how much better are Ogg files?? I have the Ogg player for the P800 but I don't have any Ogg files.
Is a 128kbps Ogg file as good as a 192kbps mp3? All my mp3s are 192kbps since this is the least that I can stand to listen to. |
psikey
Joined: Jan 31, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: UK - South Yorkshire
PM |
This is only based on my Quality Tolerance level.
With mp3 I can cope with 96kbs
With wma & ogg I can cope with 48kbs
There is a free converter called dBPowerAMP which with the extra encoder/decoders can conver mp3, wma, ogg
I am converting my files over to the OggPlayer at 48kbs.
Try this link
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central.htm
P800 OggPlayer site
http://www.geocities.com/p800tools/
With some sample files available
[ This Message was edited by: psikey on 2003-05-03 19:01 ] |
bidz
Joined: Apr 25, 2003
Posts: 64
From: Norway
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ogg is much better than mp3 and mp3pro on low bitrates.. compare a 64kbps mp3pro and ogg (and throw in a 128kbps normal mp3 also), the ogg sounds better than the mp3pro in the same bitrate, and almost the same as 128kbps mp3.
I'm currently using 45kbps ogg's on my P800 (i just have the 16mb duo still), and the ogg's take approx. 1-1.5mb (depends on song length), and i think its extremely good quality, concidering its 45kbps !!.. 45kbps ogg sounds better than 80kbps mp3 (with optimized settings, using the LAME 3.93.1 encoder).
bidz @ efnet
P800 owner
T610 pre-ordered |
psikey
Joined: Jan 31, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: UK - South Yorkshire
PM |
@bidz
is it 45kbs not 48kbs
Well, I have to agree with everything you said, I am really impressed with the sound quality of ogg files at 45kbs.
Have already emailed the author to give appreciation & encouragement and ask him to get a move on improving the interface
I just got my P800 upgraded to R2D for the improvements in the built in player (flip closed mode) but will now be using the OggPlayer all the time. |
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Posted: 2003-05-03 15:04
